Of all the things that we debate when comparing smartphones, there is one above all others that can render the rest irrelevant. If your phone runs out of battery, you can’t use any of its amazing features.

Bad battery life on smartphones is something we’ve all grown to tolerate. While Apple’s iPhone is usually cited as a device that needs charging by lunchtime, it is not the only culprit.

And hey, we’re all probably just staring at our phone screens for too long. Phones – and therefore batteries – are pretty small!

That’s why at Tech Advisor we test the battery life of all the phones we test. Some phones are designed to have extra-long battery life by using large batteries and mid-range processors. But other popular high-end models are slim and battery hungry and leave some users frustrated.

You can of course charge during the day if it doesn’t bother you or even carry around a power bank to top up your phone. But if you don’t want to keep checking that percentage icon, then there are some phones that you should look to.

We review and test many phones. The below list are the ten phones that most recently have given the best battery performance.

Battery capacity explained

Battery capacity is measured in milliamp hours (mAh). The higher the mAh of a battery, the higher the technical capacity. But the phones with the highest mAh aren't always the phones with the best battery life.

It can depend on how efficient the processor is in conjunction with the software, as well as how much you actually use your phone. Expensive high-end phones often are faster and have better screens, but this will mean the battery life is normally shorter.

What to look out for

Phones with great looking QHD displays will drain battery life faster than phones with lower resolution displays. So you need to prioritise - if you want longer battery life, you might have to settle for a mid-range phone. Thankfully, this means your phone will cost you less.

Many phones today, but not all, have fast charging. Often cheaper mid-range phones have great battery life, but don't fast charge. Check before you buy to avoid disappointment.

What do the results show?

In all tests, the screen brightness is set to the same level to ensure a fair test (120cd/m2). The phone fully discharges its battery and the screen is set not to dim or turn of.

For example, if a phone lasts 8:15 in a test, it lasted 8 hours and 15 minutes with the screen on and the test processes running. This example is a very good ‘screen on time’ – and that phone will last a very long time in real world use, most likely over a day's use.

As well as the Geekbench test, we also confirm with real-world use that these phones had excellent battery life that lasts throughout a day of use and beyond.

The star scores here are the scores we gave the phone overall in the original review, not star rating scores for battery life.

As we test more phones, we’ll update the chart.

The best battery phones of 2018

1. Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra

Rating:

Battery test score: 09:57Battery size: 3580mAh

The XA2 Ultra is a large phone, but this means it packs a huge battery. More importantly, it delivers on the best battery life we've seen in a phone for ages.

This is down to the efficient Android Oreo and a lower resolution screen than high-end phones. If you don't mind the size, it's the best battery on a phone in 2018.

6. Moto G6 Play

Rating:

Battery test score: 08:14Battery size: 4000mAh

A great little phone with a large battery capacity, the Moto G6 Play is one of the cheapest phones in our list. That isn't to say it's a bad performer either - as well as great battery life it runs well enough for most tasks.

Add to that a fingerprint scanner and 18:9 screen and it's a great budget choice.

10. Moto Z2 Play

Rating:

Battery test score: 07:43Battery size: 3000mAh

If you like the idea of a modular smartphone with great battery life, the Z2 Play is the phone for you. Moto Mods clip onto the back of the phone in the form of speakers, cameras and even an extra battery pack.

If you buy the phone and the battery pack this is actually the longest lasting phone around. It's also got good clean software and runs well despite the mid-range price.

Comments

Paul Tatman - 10:33 12-07-2018

The Sonim XP8 has been available on AT&T's website for awhile now and has a 4900mAh battery which would probably top your list. I'll be honest, considering that your website is supposed to be a tech authority I find the omission to be somewhat amateurish. You can do better.